NFL Insider Presents Defining Question Of Patriots Offseason

The New England Patriots have plenty of roster areas to address as they enter an offseason with several assets.

From the No. 3 overall pick to an abundance of cap space, the Patriots can make progress in a significant rebuild, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. While determining how to operate the offseason with head coach Jerod Mayo and director of scouting Eliot Wolf, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport believes the Patriots need to answer a defining question.

“Where (the Patriots) are from a roster perspective is the biggest one,” Rapoport shared on NFL Network from the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday. “‘Are they bad?’ The defense last year was good. The offense was not. Mac Jones has a lot of talent. We saw a lot of it his rookie year. He did not play well last year.”

Rapoport added: “If they believe that they are not close enough to compete for a championship right now, might this be the most likely team to auction off the No. 3 pick?”

Rapoport added that the Patriots could still draft one of the top quarterbacks with the No. 3 pick if the organization views the passer as a franchise player. If that’s not the case, a potential return package of multiple first-round picks could make trading out of No. 3 more desirable.

The Patriots get their first crack at improving the roster with external additions when free agency begins in less than three weeks.